What we see going on before us is evidence that what Milton Freidman said is fairly accurate.
“I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing. Unless it is politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing, the right people will not do the right thing either, or if they try, they will shortly be out of office.” (Milton Freidman).
Several months ago, there was a media fire storm about the debt ceiling, some stood there ground and voted for not raising the debt ceiling, others said we always do why wouldn’t we, and those in congress elected to create the “Super Commission”. Now the super commission is failing to reach an agreement, the automatic reductions in deficit spending are supposed to kick in and cut equally domestic spending and the Defense Department Budget.
The absolutely insanity that the American People must wake up to is that the proposal for the Super Committee was to find a way to reduce the federal debt of $15 Trillion by only $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.
Break it down; that is, reduce spending enough to pay off $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Or $120 billion each year. But friends, that is, DEBT, already accumulated debt. The Federal government at this moment is running a yearly deficit of about $1.56 trillion.
The deficit ads to the debt, so the truth is that to reduce the debt by $120 billion each year for the next 10 years, the government will need to reduce spending by $1.68 trillion or increase revenue by $1.68 trillion more then the total spent $3.83 trillion dollars each year for the next 10 years.
So how much did we spend in 2011? $3.83 trillion.
How much did we collect in revenue? $2.27 Trillion.
For the super committee to reach their stated mandate they must reduce spending or increase revenue while maintaining the spending level of $3.83 trillion.
Reduce spending
$3.83 t - $1.68 t = $2.15 trillion. So a budget that must be $2.15 trillion for the next 10 years, while maintaining a total collected revenue of $2.27 trillion.
Or increase revenues over the 2011 total spent + $1.68 trillion.
$3.83 t + $1.68t= $5.51 trillion. So a budget that remains $3.83 trillion but revenues of $5.51 trillion.
What is the most viable option, let us think this out. When was the last time US total collected revenue was $ 2.27 trillion? 2011. When was the last time US total collected revenue was $5.51 trillion? Never.
So to cut $1.68 trillion dollars from the 2011 budget. What could we cut?
Wait stop, now that we are here lets talk about the fact that if we accomplished one or the other for the next 10 years, then the Federal Debt in 2021 will still be $13.8 Trillion!
It is painfully obvious to anyone with eyes, and a functioning brain that something must be done. This is a start but it is not enough and it is clear that we can not count upon the wrong or the right people to do what is right and necessary.
So I propose, that it is time to reform government through constitutional amendment. But wait, how is it that we gain a constitutional amendment?
The Constitution, may be ammended through several prcesses;
Amendments proposed by the states in convention or by the states legislatures and then ratified by the states in convention or the states legislatures.
Ammendments proposed by the Congress and then ratified by the states either in convention or by the states legislatures.
But if we can not count on the federal legislature to do the right thing how do we the people get and Amendment going?
We must have enough of the population in enough of the states agreeing and motivating the states legislatures to look at a proposed amendment agree to it and ratify it.
This is what must happen.
Keep watch here for my version of the constitutional amendment that I believe we need.
